1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to locking devices and more particularly, to a locking assembly for securing ladders to a roofrack. The locking device of the present invention employs a novel locking mechanism to ensure that a ladder is properly secured to the roofrack of a vehicle.
2. Description of Related Art
Roofracks of vehicles are frequently used to transport items such as ladders from one location to another. The potential for property damage and bodily injury would be very high if the transported ladder were to become detached and fall from the roofrack. Therefore, to ensure the safety of other motorists and of the vehicle. Furthermore, the secure attachment of a ladder to a roofrack prevents unauthorized removal of the ladder. Any locking device used to secure a ladder to the roofrack should be easy to install and straightforward to operate.
The prior art describes an assortment of locking devices used to secure a ladder to the roofrack of a vehicle. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,134,823, issued on Nov. 1, 1938 to C. S. Herrmann et al. discloses a device for holding ladders in position on the sides of trucks. The device includes a hook member which clamps the ladder to a support and a lever for releasing the hook member.
A security assembly for a vehicle roofrack is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,827,742, issued on May 9, 1989 to R. R. McDonald. The security assembly includes a lock which moves a hooked rod from a locking position with respect to a rung of the ladder to a release position spaced from the rung, and vice versa.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,154,258, issued on Oct. 13, 1992 to C. D. Krukow shows a spring loaded pivoting arm for securing a ladder to a rack.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,186,588, issued on Feb. 16, 1993 to C. W. Sutton et al., describes a ladder rack latch. The latch is formed by a latch body rigidly secured in depending relation to the cross brace of a vehicle roofrack. An elongated ladder rung hook is supported by the latch body and a handle operated lever within the latch body moves the hook into and out of contact with the ladder rungs.
A ladder lock is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,918,488, issued on Jul. 6, 1999 to D. L. Deeter. The ladder lock has a threaded screw member at one end and a curved opposite end. The screw member is hooked under the ladder rack or roofrack and interlocked with a crossbar and handle to secure the ladder.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to disclose the instant invention as will be subsequently described and claimed.
The present invention provides a locking assembly that secures a ladder to the roofrack of a vehicle. The locking assembly comprises a movable hooked shaft, a mounting bracket, and a locking mechanism. The movable hooked shaft allows the locking assembly to be adjusted to accommodate different ladder sizes. The locking assembly of the present invention can also be used to secure either pipes or a snowmobile to a snowmobile trailer.
The locking mechanism employs a spring, a handle, and a sheave. The movable shaft has grooves equally spaced along its posterior length and the sheave has protrusions equally spaced along its circumference. The spring loaded locking mechanism holds the movable shaft in place by interlocking a groove of the movable shaft with a protrusion of the sheave.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a locking assembly for securing a ladder to a roofrack of a vehicle.
It is another object of the invention to provide a locking assembly that is strong and durable.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a locking assembly that prevents unauthorized removal of a ladder from a vehicle roofrack.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a locking assembly that is straightforward to operate.
It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof in a locking assembly for the purposes described which are inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing their intended purposes.
These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.